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“Sometimes good things happen when tragedy strikes,” says a flier announcing the drive in the name of 50-year-old Ruta Fiorino. “Even in our darkest hour, there is light.”
Canned goods also will be collected for the local food pantry at the Nov. 15 drive at Hillsdale Borough Hall, organized by the “Rooting for Ruta” campaign.
Ruta Fiorino
The group has staged a series of successful campaigns over the past year.
WHAT: Rooting for Ruta Blood Drive
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 15 (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
WHERE: Hillsdale Borough Hall
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT: (201) 251-3703
(REMINDER: You must be at least 110 pounds, eat beforehand and bring identification.)
Free non-fasting glucose and cholesterol testing will be offered.
“[H]elp us to make Rula smile, knowing that blood donations are being made in her name, to commemorate the love and support that will always be with her,” the flier says.
It was just after 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2013, when Fiorino, a ski instructor who also worked at the supermarket, had finished her shift and gone out front to get a cart to do some shopping.
Maryanne Lewis of New Milford had emerged from shopping moments earlier and was helped putting the packages in her Toyota Camry by an employee.
Lewis told police she got behind the wheel intending to back out of a handicap space in front of the store when her car suddenly lurched forward, slamming Fiorino through a store window and pinning her against a metal rack.
Bystanders helped tie a tourniquet around her leg to try to stop the bleeding.
Fiorino was airlifted by Air-Med 1 to Hackensack Medical Center, where doctors removed her right leg from just above the knee. She’d lost two-thirds of her blood but survived.
Fiorino is “a wonderful, caring woman who always puts a smile on everyone’s face,” a co-worker told CLIFFVIEW PILOT moments after the crash. “We are like a family at Trader Joe’s.”
Lewis later pleaded guilty in Municipal Court in Westwood to operating a vehicle in an unsafe manner. She was fined $136, in addition to a $250 state surcharge and $25 in court costs by Municipal Judge R. Alan Karch. Although it was her first offense, Karch also required Lewis to requalify for a driver’s license.
Ruta, meanwhile, returned hom to find the neighborhood adorned with purple ribbons — her favorite collar — and a special ramp built for her by Hillsdale firefighters and other volunteers.
A series of fundraising events tied to a “Rooting for Ruta” Facebook page have been staged for Fiorino. Other pages have garnered donations and messages of love and support.
Hilldale firefighters and other volunteers also united to build a special handicap access ramp for her.
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